


scaling fences

by toxica939



Series: scaling fences [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 02:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11704806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxica939/pseuds/toxica939
Summary: teenage best friends AUIt's still warm out, light almost faded to nothing. Aaron lets the breeze flap at his t shirt as he strides down the hill. He feels keyed up somehow, chest buzzing. He wonders if he can manage to steal a beer or two from behind the bar without his mum noticing. Get a real buzz going, forget Robert and everything he shouldn't want.





	scaling fences

Someone's put their phone in an empty pint glass on the pavilion railing. Aaron thinks it must have been one of Vic's sad little mates if the tinny shite he can hear is anything to by.

Tonight wasn't supposed to be a party really. Adam had suggested a few beers up on the cricket field to celebrate school finally being out for summer. He'd roped Robert in, probably so he could put it on Robert's little sister and well, where Robert goes, Aaron follows. So here he is. Flat on his back in some damp grass, listening to teenage girl music while the sun slips away. His beer isn't even cold.

“What are you doing over here?” Robert asks, shadow falling across Aaron's body.

Aaron shields his eyes, peers up the gangly length of him. “Minding my own business. Is one of them for me?”

Robert's got a tinnie in each hand and he passes one over while he folds himself down on to the grass.

Aaron cracks it open, has to sit up fast when it froths over, catches the bitter foam in his mouth.

Robert's laughing at him, chin pressed to his shoulder.

“Fuck off,” Aaron elbows him.

They sit side by side, away from the throng of people on the pavilion steps. Aaron can see Adam with his arms around Vic's waist, full charm offensive. It's embarrassing.

He shakes his head, looks back out across the hill. “You going to do anything about that?” he asks.

“What?”

Aaron tips his head. “Ads trying to get it on with your sister.”

Robert glances over his shoulder, pulls a face. “None of my business. Besides, it's not like you haven't tried it before.”

Robert likes to bring that up.

“Fuck you.”

Robert laughs like he always does; full bodied, bright as a bell. “Sorry. I know, I know, you were confused.” He makes air quotes because he's a fucking loser.

“Why am I friends with you again?”

“My winning personality,” Robert says, sipping at his beer. “And I've got a nice face.”

That part's true, but there's no way Aaron's admitting that. “You're an idiot.”

Robert hums, like that's a given, and they fall back into silence again.

It's Aaron's favourite thing about Robert, that he doesn't feel the need to fill the air with noise all the time. It makes him think of all the hours they spent as kids, sitting on the ground just like this, staring at the blackened, charred shell of the barn where Robert's mum died. It was morbid, probably, the sort of thing he hadn't worried about back then. Robert had barely spoken for months, nothing that didn't end up with his hands in fists and his eyes wet. They didn't need to speak back then for Aaron to understand him. They never have.

There's a flash of blonde hair and tanned legs. Great. “Robert, I've been looking for you everywhere.”

Rebecca's alcohol flushed, wine bottle in hand. She's hanging off her sister's arm.

Robert's shoulders slump. “Have you?”

“Lord knows why,” Chrissie comments, eyes rolling skyward.

Aaron hides a smirk in his beer can. Chrissie's hated Robert since he dumped her for Rebecca in year eight. Never mind that holding hands before double maths didn't exactly equate to a real relationship.

Aaron likes Chrissie. Rebecca is a different kettle of fish altogether.

“You said you'd ring me,” she's saying. “About the thing on Sunday.”

The thing on Sunday is the outdoor showing of Grease Diane's arranging with Aaron's mum. It sounds horrendous.

Aaron darts a look at Robert, whose jaw is clenched like maybe he's finally about to give up on letting Rebecca down easy. As if. It's been a full year of this now, ever since she caught him with his hand down Barton's pants behind the PE block. A full year of her trying to get back with him and Robert not having the balls to tell her no.

Aaron's sick of it.

“I'm gonna get off,” he says, dusting down his wet arse. He doesn't hang around when Robert calls after him.

It's still warm out, light almost faded to nothing. Aaron lets the breeze flap at his t shirt as he strides down the hill. He feels keyed up somehow, chest buzzing. He wonders if he can manage to steal a beer or two from behind the bar without his mum noticing. Get a real buzz going, forget Robert and everything he shouldn't want.

“Oi,” Robert's shouting, breaking through the rushing in Aaron's ears. He gets a hand hooked around Aaron's elbow and yanks him back.

Aaron faces him, folds his arms across his chest because he already feels like a total dickhead for storming off like that. Robert's always made him stupid. Ever since Aaron finally screwed his face up and said _I'm gay_ and Robert just gaped at him for a while, said _yeah, me too a bit. You going to finish that pizza?_ Aaron lost his head then and it's still gone now.

Robert's panting, out of breath from chasing him. “What the hell was that?”

“Don't know what you're talking about, mate. I was just going home.”

An eye roll. “Yeah, because I've never met you. When have you ever left a party early?”

Aaron shrugs, can't help himself. “Felt a bit crowded.”

“We're outside!”

Aaron huffs. He doesn't want to have this argument. They've been _not_ having this argument for years. “Robert, just leave it, yeah? I'm gonna go home. You, sort things out with Rebecca or whatever.” He's tired, he's so tired of all this.

They're supposed to be best friends. He can't keep doing this.

Robert's face falls, eyes softening up like they always do when he's worried.

“You know there's nothing going on with me and Bex. I finished it ages ago.”

Aaron nods. “Sure.”

It makes Robert's nostrils flare, his cheeks flame red. “I mean it, Aaron. It's done. Finished. How could I be into her when-” he cuts himself off, looks away. The muscle in his jaw jumps.

Aaron can hear the stream trickling, birds singing in the trees, still. He can hear his own heart beating. There's something swelling in the air between them and it's making his skin prickle.

Courage, he thinks, bravery. “When what?”

The words are soft but they make Robert twitch, face tight. “Nothing.”

Aaron steps closer, lets his arms hang by his sides. He wants to step right into Robert's chest but hope only gets you so far. “When what, Robert?”

Robert's chin is trembling, breath huffing through his nose. His eyes are dark. “You know what.”

Aaron shakes his head. He doesn't, he's been waiting. “Say it.”

He needs to hear him say it.

It feels like they hang there for an eternity, ground opening up at their feet. Aaron wants to close his eyes. He doesn't feel very brave any more, he's terrified.

“I don't want Bex, Aaron,” Robert blows a breath out through his nose. “I want you.”

He barely gets the words out before Aaron's up against him, hands on Robert's shoulders to pull him down. Their mouths don't line up right at first, lips dragging together. It takes Robert's big hands on his jaw, tilting Aaron's head into it, to slot them together in a real kiss.

His blood is rushing in his ears again, nothing but white noise and Robert's tongue in his mouth. Bitter hum of warm beer and the rhythm of a kiss. A perfect, first kiss, the kind he never thought he'd get. The kind he wouldn't even know how to dream about, all rough edges and careful hands.

They're both breathless when they pull apart, Aaron's forehead pressed to Robert's cheek. He curls his fingers in the sleeves of Robert's t shirt, doesn't move away.

“So,” Robert says, hands smoothing up and down Aaron's back. “That happened.”

They both chuckle, nudging further together until they're definitely cuddling.

“Finally,” Aaron dares to add.

He feels Robert nod, a kiss pressed to the hair above his ear. “Yeah. Sorry.”

It doesn't really matter now, Aaron supposes. They're here now.

 

**Author's Note:**

> join me on tumblr, i'm vckaarrob


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